Letters to the Editor

Apo should help pay for new vote

Elected officials who choose to resign from office before their term expires, whether they seek to run for another office or move on to a private sector as Honolulu City Councilman Apo is doing, should pick up part of the bill to offset the cost to conduct a special election.

Also, jumping ship before the politician’s term expires is really a letdown to the family members and friends and public voters who campaigned so hard to get the person elected in the first place.

Crossing flags could save lives

Safety of our citizens comes first. Let’s take some action immediately to protect people in crosswalks.

Salt Lake City uses the following solution successfully: school crossing type flags at crosswalks. Put red or orange flags at crosswalks. Pedestrians can pick up and hold the flag up while they cross the street. The flags can be tucked into a rope on a telephone pole. This can be done now, while lawmakers decide on more long-term solutions.

Also, I put on my emergency blinking lights when I see someone in a crosswalk to warn others to be on alert. It is easy to do.

Regional park should be for all

Recently, my daughter was involved in a youth softball tournament at the Central Oahu Regional Park. During a break, I wanted to work with my older son’s fundamentals in his positions on one of the regulation baseball fields at the complex.

I was shocked that all the fields had locks on the gates. But I was able to locate one field where the gate lock was broken. So my son and I started throwing on the field. I was confronted by a Parks and Recreation employee, who said I needed a permit to use the field. The employee said they use the field for high school games and other organized programs. But it is a City and County park. I think anyone should be able to use the field.

Apparently the city worries that people like me will damage the field. Well, make some rules for us and leave a rake out so we can rake the field after we are done.

Many ‘Christians’ simply bigoted

When Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona says that his faith is a central part of his life, and that he wants to serve all the people of Hawaii, gay citizens know that this statement is a contradiction: Many who call themselves Christians have no problem discriminating against and denying equal protection to homosexual citizens.

How ironic, then, that those in different religious communities have so much difficulty deciding who is worthy to be called Christian — as evidenced by the divisive language of state Republican Party Chairman Jonah Kaauwai, denigrating both Neil Abercrombie and Mufi Hannemann for apparently not meeting Kaauwai’s piety test.

It would seem that the only thing these religious groups can agree upon is that homosexuals are not worthy.

Kailua doesn’t need a Target

I have a question for Mitch D’Olier in regard to the shopping convenience for Kailua residents if Target comes to town ("Name in the News," Star-Advertiser, Aug. 27). He says Target will make it possible for us to find everything we need there, like kitchenware, office products and kids’ clothes.

Well, what about Macy’s, just a half block from the proposed Target site? I can find a great selection of kitchen and housewares there, and also at Hardware Hawaii, even at Longs. Macy’s has kids’ clothes. And for office products, I would go to the professionals in Honolulu anyway — Fisher Hawaii. Small stuff I can already find at Don Quijote or Longs.

Waipio team exemplifies Hawaii

My wife and I live in Massachusetts and have been traveling to the islands for years. We just bought a townhouse in Hawaii Kai and will permanently move there in the next few years.

The primary reason we are coming to the land of aloha is the people. When I think of the kamaaina, I think of warmth, caring, helpfulness, humility, history, ohana, etc. There is a spirit there that exists nowhere else. Hawaii has problems like every other state. But other states lack what Hawaii has.

The coaches of the Waipio Little League team are teaching those kids a lot more that just baseball. When my wife and I visit, we see a lot of the effects of that spirit throughout the islands.

Mahalo to the coaches and players of Waipio. Mahalo to Hawaii for knowing how to live.